Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain says Emmanuel Eboue’s effervescence helped him to settle at Arsenal.
The England midfielder joined the club as a 17-year-old in August 2011, having helped Southampton to promotion from League One the season before.
Oxlade-Chamberlain remembers feeling nervous - but Arsenal feels like home to him now.
"Eboue made me feel comfortable and welcome with his jokes and his laughing and I settled into it a little bit more"
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
“I remember my first training session,” he told Arsenal Player. “I think I was just coming back from an ankle injury as well. As I arrived, my first session was with Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Eboue - just the three of us doing passing drills.
“I remember I couldn’t even pass the ball more than five yards in the first 10 minutes. Eboue made me feel comfortable and welcome with his jokes and his laughing and I settled into it a little bit more.
“It’s been a great experience for me, now I feel like this is home.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain is pleased with his development and is now targeting a return from the groin injury that has kept him sidelined for a month.
“I’m my own biggest critic - I feel there is a lot more to come from myself but first and foremost I’m really happy,” he said. “It’s the first year I’ve been a regular in the team and I’ve played quite a lot of games.
“That’s a positive step forward for me and it’s what I need and what I would have wanted to have happened this year - for me to push on.”
Alex in action against Galatasaray in the Emirates Cup
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